Roster moves as of 10/30

Randy Murphy waived Nate Bostic today and placed Mike MacDonald on the 14-day IR. This most likely means that John Mazzei will be in the lineup on Friday against Texas. Best of luck to Bostic, wherever he may end up. Another kid with a ton of heart.

I don't have a health update on Tyler Fuller, but his two weeks on the IR are up as of tomorrow, so it's a big question mark as to whether he'll be in the lineup or whether he'll be a healthy scratch.

One other transaction today that might be of interest to Scorpions fans, as Amarillo signed Jonathan Ornelas. You might remember Ornelas from his playoff stint with the Scorpions last season. His numbers weren't great (they weren't anything, actually) but he was a workhorse who definitely showed some offensive flare from time to time. I'll be interested to see how he does with the Gorillas

Time for a few more moves...

Good news for the Scorpions as John Mazzei finally sorted out immigration and has been cleared to play. The bad news is that Randy Murphy now has to make an additional roster cut to accommodate for the Bowling Green grad. Personally, I've been very excited to see what Mazzei can do for the Scorps, as he looked great in training camp and practice. He seems like the kind of player that could fit in well on just about any line Murphy has assembled right now, but I personally could see a guy with his playmaking ability alongside a natural shooter like Macdonald or Robertson. Now, given that Delforte has been nothing short of amazing in first five games, I can't see moving him off that top line. But... I also noticed that he had some instant chemistry with Neil Trimm and Mitch Stephens during training camp, so there's a possibility that Murphy puts those three together and slots Mazzei in with Robertson and Leonard. Tons of decisions to be made between now and Friday, but I think this is the first time we'll be able to see the full potential of the Scorpions this season.

The rich get richer, part deux

Apparently 5 games is enough for Terry Ruskowski to shake things up down in Laredo. Coach Rosco waived forwards Ryan Fuller and Joey Moggach to make room for former Memphissippi Riverking and NHL draftpick Rick Kozak. The Bucks also added forward Joey Olson, who put up 30 points in 39 games with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL last season. Two rookie forwards for two proven point-producers at this level -- sounds like a good exhange in my book!

Do it for the kids?

The Jackalopes made their position in the Southwest division pretty clear by drubbing the Gorillas 7-1 on kid's day at the Amarillo Civic Center. That makes the Jacks a perfect 4-0 against divisional opponents this season, not to mention that they've outscored their opponents by a combined 26-6 margin in those four games. Maybe Randy Murphy, Tom Coolen and Marco Pietroniro need to do some brainstorming. Or maybe we'll all get to see what the Northeast Division felt like a few years ago

In related news, apparently Derek Dolson opted to return north of the border and pursue other opportunities. With that in mind, Amarillo is reportedly pursuing former all-star and fellow Jacks outcast Mike Goreman, who was waived by Rio Grande Valley today. This comes after the Gorillas waived goaltender Simon Nielsen, who was shelled for 6 goals on 24 shots in his only game of the season, a 6-0 loss to the Scorpions opening weekend. Coach Coolen clearly has no problem keeping that revolving door moving

CHL Award Winners: Week 2

The CHL announced today its player of the week and goaltender of the week for week 2 of the CHL season. Rapid City's Chris Lipsett grabbed player of the week honors, notching 7 points (5g, 2a) in 3 games for the Rush this week. Having shared a division with Lipsett for the past few years, I'm sure most Scorps fans are aware of the offensive damage this guy can do. Looks like he's found a nice spot playing along side former Gorilla Rich Hansen and recent addition Les Reaney, a former teammate of Scorps forward Nate Bostic at Niagara University.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City's Andy Franck took home goaltender of the week honors after picking up points in all four of his starts this week (2-0-2). The fourth-year pro sported a 1.32 goals against average to go along with a .947 save percentage. When you share a division with Bossier-Shreveport, every point's going to count come playoff time.

A great effort

Just a thanks to everyone who pitched in this weekend to support Rob Guinn's family. I'll post an update as soon as I learn how much was raised this weekend, but I know I'm not alone in saying that every effort made over the past few days was greatly appreciated.

Thunder 7, Scorpions 6 (OT)

I hope you didn't turn on your radio or head for the exits midway through this one...though I wouldn't have blamed you. Needless to say, having deja vu of the worst kind on the same night the Scorpions have what could be a critical breakthrough in this early season is -- well -- beyond words.

This obviously was not a game that Randy Murphy would be proud of, but the effort the Scorpions showed to erase a 6-goal deficit was definitely something they can feed off of. After 4 and 1/2 terrible periods of hockey, the Scorpions managed to show both their coach and themselves what they're capable of. The team I saw in that third period is a force to be reckoned with, it's just an issue of whether they can hang on to that confidence.

Observations:

• Wichita might not have had the firepower that Odessa did the night before, but these guys were quick! Part of it can be attributed to sloppy offensive zone play by the Scorps, but credit the Thunder in springing a number of odd-man man rushes with sheer speed. Bruce Bilodeau's squad has a killer transition game
• It's been pretty rare in the past season and change to see Andrew Martin have two consecutive bad outings, but something just wasn't clicking this weekend. No one expected him to stop everything he saw, but I think there were a few goals over the past two nights that Marty definitely wants back
• Torren, Torren, Torren... you're not supposed to play favorites, but how can you not love this kid? And I can say "kid" because he's even younger than I am! Both of Torren Delforte's goals in the third period were absolutely beautiful. The first goal to make it 6-5 was the best individual effort of the season thus far, as Delforte sidestepped two or three checks coming out of the corner, undressed a defenseman, then fought off another to get his own rebound and put a backhand top shelf on Krister Toews. Absolutely electrifying. On the game-tying goal, Delforte sniped that short-side corner on Toews, but the real credit goes to Dylan Row. He hit the line and dangled right through two defenders, drawing a third to him and freeing up Delforte, whom he hit with a tape-to-tape backhand pass. If Row can play with that kind of aggressiveness and confidence, he could be a big contributor at both ends
• Mitch Stephens finished the game with 3 assists, but it's fair to say that his bad luck as of late continued. Twice Stephens missed from in close, including a look at a wide-open net, and both times Wichita took the puck the other way and scored on the insuing rush. That's gotta hurt, especially considering Stephens probably could've put up 5 or 6 points tonight
• Quick roster note: rookie forward Neil Trimm cleared immigration, so he was in the lineup tonight and Matt Cosmos was waived. He picked up his first career point on Jamie Herrington's goal early in the third and was a +1 on the night. Randy Murphy is still awaiting clearance on John Mazzei, which means that several guys are likely still fighting for roster spots.
• Kevin Graber is definitely making a name for himself in the Southwest division. A ref's job is never easy, but there's something to be said for letting the guys play
• Interestingly enough, the Scorpions were the only Southwest Division team to grab a point tonight. Who'd a thunk it?

Elsewhere:

• Scott Sheppard single-handedly dismantles Odessa. As James Yodice was pointing out, I'm sure the half-day bus ride didn't help the Jacks' cause
• Tulsa pulls in almost 17k to the new BOK Center, only to have OKC spoil the party.
• Laredo climbs out of the basement in the Southeast with a defensive battle in Corpus. Every part of that sentence sounds weird

Jackalopes 9, Scorpions 2

"Like boys amongst men"

Those words from Randy Murphy about sum up this, by far one of the ugliest affairs I've ever been privy to. From what I heard from other reporters, the usually docile Murphy unleashed a Paul Fixter-esque rant after the game, hinting not-so-subtly at the possibility of personel changes. As he so eloquently put it (and I'm paraphrasing, here) "some of these guys think the rink is a f***ing country club." When I left the SASC, Adam Minnick was returning to the booth with strict orders to cut up tonight's goal highlights and get Murphy the game DVD ASAP. Sounds like the Scorps are going to be doing some late-night film study. You can bet that jobs are going to be on the line tomorrow night against Wichita -- that is, if jobs weren't already on the line tonight.

As for the Jacks, they looked better than just about any team I have seen in the CHL, especially this early in the season. Paul Gillis' squad looks like a team that's been playing together for years. They outplayed and outperformed the Scorpions in every facet of the game from the drop of the puck. The new additions to their lineup lived up to their reputations, and the old Jacks (Ramsay, Swiniarksi, Thinel, Leveille, to name a few) looked more confident and more dangerous than I remember them. This is a team that is just brimming with confidence right now, and I'm sure the whole league, especially the Southern Conference, has taken notice. I also think the numbers in this week's poll (at right) might just take a jump after seeing the Jacks firsthand.

Observations:

• Poor Jason Wolfe. He looked great early on, especially on the first PK just :14 into the contest. The shot counter read 8-0 less than three minutes in, and Wolfe certainly kept the Scorpions in the game. Andrew Martin played well for the most part in relief, but I think that 6th goal from Lesperance completely broke his confidence and quelled any chance of a Scorpions comeback. A goaltender of Martin's quality should never get beaten 5-hole when he can see the shot coming from 60 feet out.
• I don't know if it was Kory Karlander or the linesman, but someone was driving Chris Robertson nuts on the faceoff. I've never seen someone tossed from the faceoff circle so many times. From the Murphy's point of view, it must hurt to continually lose the services of one of the league's premier drawmen
• This a pretty quick judgment after only one game, but I think the defensive pairing of Russ Moyer and Phillipe Plante could be one of the league's top defensive tandems by season's end. Absolutely lights out in their own end, and Moyer moves the puck like a quality AHL defenseman
• Juha Toivonen made a couple amazing saves, especially in those early flurries, but the 40-plus shots he faced did little more than pad his stats. Odessa's D was very good about clogging up the passing lanes and forcing the Scorpions to shoot from the outside. When the Scorpions did find space to shoot, Toivonen usually saw the puck all the way. I've only seen the Jacks this once, but I definitely think Toivonen's stats are indicative of the defense in the front of him. I saw plenty of areas where he seemed vulnerable, but his mates did a phenomenal job of helping him out
• The Scorpions' penalty kill looked about as static and flatfooted as it's ever been. The best penalty-killing teams in this league are equally dynamic when shorthanded as they are at full strength, and the Scorpions looked like pylons out there. The Jacks were free to work from the goal line all the way up to the point without any pressure. It made it pretty easy to open up those seams. The video game-style passing plays probably didn't hurt either.
• The same criticisms can pretty well sum up the Scorpions' power play too. Yes, they picked up their two goals of the evening on the PP, but I can think of maybe a handful of times the PP unit actually got set up in the zone and moved the puck around well enough to generate a quality chance. The Odessa PK worked like a 4-man unit should, clogging up the passing lanes and pressuring the Scorps from the inside out. Unfortunately for the Scorpions, they couldn't fall back on their 5-on-5 play like they could the past few seasons

Elsewhere:

• Colorado wins the first President's Cup rematch. Arizona loses Leavitt, Redenbach, Urquhart, Laperierre, McVicar. Colorado gains Reeder, Ulanski, two AHL goaltenders. Same teams as May? I think not
• Greg Rajan clearly knows how Scorps fans feel after the IceRays are brought back down to earth by Rapid City. Must be nice to give up 8 goals in your second game of the season and still have a positive goal differential. On another note, congrats to the Rush on the franchise's first win
• Wichita gets a much-needed boost in a battle of two teams much in need of boosting. Can the Rage seriously STILL be hungover from the all-star game?
• Rio Grande Valley shows Laredo that things might be a little different this year. And I thought the Southwest Division was gonna be tough... see what Joy Lindsay and Brian Sandalow have to say once they can shift focus back to hockey

Sundogs 5, Scorpions 3

Well it looked like a quality game for 40 minutes, but one bad period and the Scorpions and Sundogs put an end to their respective streaks. It's been a shared frustration between Ray Edwards and Randy Murphy as long as they've been behind the Scorpions bench, and tonight was no different -- the Scorpions will not consistently play 60 minutes of hockey. Even a five-minute lapse can put a team behind the 8-ball, but playing the final frame of a 2-2 game with zero intensity is a guaranteed way to lose a game.

Observations:

• Andrew Martin basically got hung out to dry. I missed the first goal of the game -- Adam said it was a hell of a shot from Karl Sellan. But a short-handed 2-on-1 and a pair of defensive zone giveaways (more on that later) are not indicative of a team that's helping out its goalie. Golden rule of hockey: take care of your end first.
• For as much as I've praised Mitch Stephens since the opening of training camp, his giveaway to Martin Gascon after Arizona's go-ahead goal was absolutely ghastly. Hopefully he can find a way to atone for that this weekend, but he put the nail in the coffin himself with that one
• I'm sure I sound like a broken record by now, but another solid performance from Torren Delforte. He keeps his point streak alive and was really all over the place tonight, creating opportunities and drawing penalties.
• Congrats to Corey Courchene on his first goal as a Scorpion. Pretty solid rip
• Suggestions for practice between now and Friday? Hitting the net from the hashmarks in. Too many times, the Scorps went for the corners when they had golden opportunities and too often they didn't even test Marco Emond. Adam said it in the broadcast and I will gladly reiterate that Emond is prone to coughing up rebounds. Rebounds come from shots on goal

Elsewhere:

• Colorado pounds on Rocky Mountain for a period, then puts it in cruise. Sounds like the third period was worth catching on the CHL Network
• Martin Brodeur inches closer and closer to Terry Sawchuk's 103 shutouts with a 5-0 whitewash of the Dallas Stars. That puts Marty at 98 for his illustrious carrer. More importantly, it puts him one step closer to erasing Patrick Roy from the record books :-)
• Talk of a 2nd NHL franchise in Toronto. It's going to be pretty hard to find many converts in Leaf-land. Besides, nobody wants to be the Clippers of the NHL

Rekindling the rivalry

Tonight's game at Arizona marks the next chapter in what has been a very entertaining division rivalry over the past two seasons. The Sundogs clearly got the last laugh, knocking off the Scorpions in 5 games last season on their way to the President's Cup title. It's equally clear that this is not last year's Sundogs team. Sans the game-breaking abilities of Alex Leavitt, Tyler Redenbach and Cory Urquhart, the Dogs put up a whopping 3 goals in a pair of contests against Odessa last weekend, with last season's top-ranked powerplay going a modest 2-for-23 (in another surprising turn of events, the Scorpions are actually leading the league on the PK at a clip of 93.3%). Now, let's give credit where credit is due, as the retooled Odessa Jackalopes squad that handed the Sundogs those two losses is arguably the league's best team on paper. While a lot of people had the chance to see what Paul Gillis' new team can do, I don't think anyone got a fair representation of what the Sundogs are capable of.

Having said all of this, I'm hopeful that tonight's game has the intensity and excitement we've all come to expect from the Scorps/Dogs rivalry. There are plenty of new faces on both sides, so maybe it'll take a few games for that hatred to get settled, but the guys who've been here before have no excuse not to send a message tonight.

There is also another interesting sideplot tonight -- should the goaltending matchup pan out, we could potentially see a duel between the two top prospects for the AHL's San Antonio Rampage in Andrew Martin and Joel Gistedt. Both players were in camp with the Rampage and both are at the top of the pool for an AHL call-up. Such a call up could be imminent as well, with the Phoenix Coyotes allegedly shopping backup goaltender Mikael Tellqvist. So far, Martin has fared better in his lone start than Gistedt, stopping 36 of 39 shots against Amarillo opening night. Gistedt was tagged for 6 goals on 12 shots and pulled after just 31 minutes of play, but I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that all 6 of those goals weren't his fault.

Follow the game live on pointstreak or on CHLTV

No...not THAT Lemieux

Everyone who's anyone in hockey knows the last name Lemieux. We're not talking about Super Mario in this case, but the news that Claude Lemieux is apparently training with the Arizona Sundogs made me do a bit of a double-take. Yes, four-time Stanley Cup winner Claude Lemieux. Yes, 1995 Conn Smythe winner Claude Lemieux. Yes, this Claude Lemiuex.

I think I'm more affected by this by virtue of my loyalty to the Detroit Red Wings than I am as a member of the Scorpions community, but nonetheless, it's some pretty interesting news. Now, there's nothing in the article to indicate that Lemieux intends to suit up with the Sundogs, but I also can't see any AHL team giving him a shot without seeing some evidence that he's still got it. Even Darren McCarty started in the IHL last season with Flint before making his way back into the Red Wings organization.

However it may play out, this news certainly comes with its fair share of intrigue!

Some teams just can't get a break...

You've gotta feel for the Wichita Thunder. After climbing out of the CHL cellar and turning into a legitimate cup contender, the Thunder fell back into obscurity last season. With the departures of guys like Joe Blaznek, Sebastian Laplante, Daniel Tetrault and even Travis Clayton, there was little doubt that this would be a rebuilding year for new head coach Brent Bilodeau. So when the Thunder lost captain Mike Batovanja for the season, I imagine morale was all but in the toilet in Wichita. I absolutely loved what I saw out of Batovanja last season when the Thunder played at the SASC. The guy went all out and you could tell he was 100% heart. That's definitely the kind of guy you want wearing the "C" and he seems like an able and ready heir to Jason Duda's throne. I really do wish some better luck would come Wichita's way. That whole team deserves it

Roster Update

Kyle McCullough was released to make room for this week's additions. Best of luck to Kyle. Genuinely good kid with a great work ethic. I don't think he'll have any trouble finding a club

Q & A: Torren Delforte

Q: What have been the biggest differences you've noticed between college hockey and the pro game?

Delforte: Time. In the pro game, everything is more relaxed and everyone has more time to make plays. Also positioning. At the college level, it is a more run-and-gun game, while professional hockey is based more on a system. It's more of a turnover game and capitalizing on your opponent's mistakes

Q: Describe the experience of scoring your first professional goal. Did it put you at ease a bit for the following night?

Delforte: It was an awesome feeling and a monkey off my back. Scoring early in the season is huge regarding building confidence

Q: What has been the most memorable part of your first week on a professional roster?

Delforte: I'd say the bus trip. Though hot and pretty uncomfortable, sometimes just hanging and relaxing with the boys is a plus

Q: Randy Murphy clearly has the confidence in you to make you a go-to guy on special teams, both the powerplay and the penalty kill. Do you feel any added pressure or do you feed of that responsibility?

Delforte: No pressure. It is a privilege to take part in special teams. It's a huge aspect of the game these days and it drives me to work even harder

Q: Away from the rink, what's your favorite passtime?

Delforte: Guitar. I love to play the guitar, mostly acoustic, but couldn't bring it on the plane because I had too many bags to begin with. Hopefully I'll get it here soon

Lenny be good

Good news for Scorps fans, as Seth Leonard arrived this weekend and skated with the team this morning. He really does look to be a great addition to the Scorpions' lineup, especially once he gets his legs back under him. By Leonard's own admission, he was definitely suffering from a mean case of jetlag, plus he'd spent the whole off-season at home in British Columbia so the altitude was a bit of a challenge. Still, the guy is a phenomenal talent, and I can't stress that enough. Randy Murphy had him skating on a line with Chris Robertson and Torren Delforte, which is just plain scary when you consider the potential there. Besides, moving Craig Macdonald onto a line with a pass-first center like Mitch Stephens could yield some huge numbers as well. Unfortunately, this also means that several guys are going to have to be let go. Neil Trimm and John Mazzei are still sorting out immigration paperwork and Tyler Fuller is on the IR, but there is at least one cut to be made by tomorrow. I don't envy whoever has to make that decision.

Now...a bit more on Leonard, and some food for thought as well. The Scorpions are bringing in a slick, hard-working playmaker who is exceptional on both sides of the puck. Leonard put up 90 points (50g, 40a) in 72 games for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League in 03-04. That put him tops in scoring on a team with the likes of AHL mainstay Mark Ardelan and NHL call-ups Jeremy Colliton and Kyle Chipchura. He played two seasons for an underacheiving Victoria Salmon Kings Kings squad in the ECHL before landing with the Eagles two years ago. Since then, Leonard has posted a point-per-game during the regular season and has 34 points in 41 postseason contests. His numbers might not leap off the statsheet like Reeder's, but take into consideration that he was a second-line player on a team loaded with offensive talent. He wasn't leaned upon to be his team's main contibutor offensively and he still contributed better than a point-per-game. A lot of people out there don't think t was a fair one-for-one exchange, but you can quote me as saying that Seth Leonard will do just as much for the New Mexico Scorpions as Konrad Reeder did, if not more. Just don't expect all of his contributions to show up on the scoresheet

Scorpions 6, Gorillas 0

Randy Murphy definitely found a way to iron out the wrinkles from the Scorpions' opening night performance, and this was the result. A very complete performance by the Scorpions but, more notably, a very opportunistic one. Six goals on 17 shots is the kind of efficiency any coach would dream of.


Observations:

• First and foremost, my hat's off to Jason Wolfe. That was a hell of a goaltending performance that should forever endear him to those pessimists out there who doubted the Scorpions' goaltending situation. When that 6'5" frame is in position, it's going to be tough for anyone to put pucks by him. It's just an added bonus when he sees the puck like he did tonight
• Torren "Chipper" Delforte is fast becoming Mr. Special Teams. Another powerplay goal tonight to go along with the team's first shorty of the year -- from a guy who came on board only a few days before final roster cuts. Between Delforte, Neil Trimm and John Mazzei, the Scorpions could have a few formidable candidates for rookie of the year. I'll try to get a Q & A with Torren up later this week
• I really like the energy from Mike MacDonald. I thought he was arguably Odessa's quickest player last season and he's a great guy to put on a checking line with the likes of Sam Bowles, Kyle McCullough etc.

Elsewhere:

• How can a 12-3 massacre at the hands of Corpus not lead things off? I'm not even going to try on this one. See Rajan
• I bet Rocky Mountain can't wait to get back to Broomfield. I definitely didn't see Tracy Egeland's squad returning home with a minus-11 goal differential to open the season. As for the Bees, the 7 goals in their season-opener were more than they scored in any game last season
• Odessa joins NM atop the Southwest Division with a 3-1 victory in Arizona
• The second coming of Konrad Reeder begins in Colorado. One goal on seven shots, 2 PIMS and, as I understand it, a signature backbender in his first game back

Scorpions 6, Gorillas 3

Well it wasn't the prettiest game I've seen, but this definitely has to rank as one of the better opening nights in recent memory for Randy Murphy and the Scorps. It looked every bit an opening game, with plenty of things clicking and plenty of things -- well -- not. Anyhow, here are some observations from game 1 of the 08/09 campaign:

• Randy Murphy had to juggle lines around a bit as a result of immigration delays with John Mazzei and Neil Trimm. You could definitely see a lack on continuity on more than one occasion, but kudos to the Scorps for finding their way through it
• Congratulations to Torren Delforte and Sam Bowles on their first goals as professionals. I thought Delforte played a cut above most of the guys out there tonight and his two points were definitely earned. As for Bowles, it's great to see a guy who's hailed for his defensive abilities net a crucial goal to put the game out of reach. Both of those guys were absolutely beaming after the game, Delforte especially. Like I said before, the kid has an absolutely infectious personality. The batteries on my recorder crapped out or I'd have some quote material from both. But hey, how about a hand for the Union College? Not a bad showing for the Dutchmen on opening night
• A couple of absolute snipe-jobs from Jamie Herrington and Mitch Stephens. Herrington rang a laser of a snapshot off the elbow joint -- off his own face-off win, mind you -- and Stephens absolutely froze Jonsson on his penalty shot. Something tells me Jonsson was thinking deke
• Nick Theriault is quickly making a name for himself as public enemy No. 1. Maybe I haven't spent enough time on the bench, but never in my life have I heard a player flap his gums as much as he did in the preseason game in Santa Fe. True to form, he continued the trash-talk tonight. Granted, he's not afraid to back it up by throwing his weight around -- and Terriault is a BIG boy-- but between the sucker punch he landed on Chris Robertson and the boarding/attempted murder penalty he picked up on Nate Bostic, my money says it won't take long for the old Scorpions/Gorillas rivalry to get stirred up again
• A very respectable first start for Andrew Martin. He looked very sharp in net, especially on the dozen or so one-timers that Sam Ftorek had from the hashmarks. I think the Scorpions definitely dodged more than a few bullets by leaving a player with that kind of shot untouched in the slot. Still, Martin's vision and rebound control were exceptional, minus the juicy he left for Gordon Bell on Bell's first tally. In Martin's defense, Caponigri's spin move was pretty slick and it probably would have caught most goaltenders off guard
• Aaron MacInnis has a massive gash above his right eye. I didn't see what exactly happened, and no one in the locker room had a definitive answer, but Big Mac definitely has endured enough punishment in one night to last him a full season. They'll leave it up to Woody to make him look pretty again
• Lastly, on a personal note, I will never again wear a piece of Red Wings paraphernalia into the Scorpions locker room. Macdonald and Cosmos were there to back me up, but that room started to get pretty lonely pretty quick. Oh, and here's my obligatory shout-out to Jamie Herrington and Kyle McCullough for mentioning "blog" in the course of conversation.

Elsewhere:

• Laredo makes up for lost time by pumping Scott Reid for six goals. Looks like Jeff Bes is on pace for 256 assists...that'll teach anyone to question the reigning MVP
• Colorado and Rapid City put up a baker's dozen in Loveland. If the air is thinner, does the puck travel that much faster? Either way, no better way to kick off a new rivalry
• Could be a fluke, but the Jackalopes appear to be as good on the ice as they are on paper. Just ask Arizona. At least the fans got to enjoy the banner-raising ceremony and the customary Karl Sellan flip-out session
• Kevin St. Pierre helps Tulsa come away from OKC with a point. As Greg Rajan noted, that's going to be a tired bunch facing the retooled Rays at ABC Saturday night
• Bossier exacts a little regular-season revenge on Texas. But seriously... a combined total of two shots in the first period? And both went in!? Someone tell me that's a type-o

Opening night roster

Randy Murphy made his final roster moves today, releasing Shawn Doucet and holding onto recent arrivals Torren Delforte, Neil Trimm and Corey Courchene (who will be playing D). Also, Tyler Fuller was placed on the 14-day IR with a lower body injury. Seth Leonard is flying in late Sunday and will suit up for the Scorps Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Arizona.

So, without further adieu, here is a look at the 08-09 New Mexico Scorpions.

Forwards:
8- Neil Trimm
9- Sam Bowles
10- John Mazzei
13- Torren Delforte
15- Matt Cosmos
16- Craig Macdonald (A)
17- Jamie Herrington
19- Kyle McCullough
21- Nate Bostic
27- Mitch Stephens
72- Chris Robertson (A)

Defense:
2- Corey Courchene
3- Russell Smith
4- Aaron MacInnis (C) (V)
5- Tyler Fuller
11- Dylan Row
20- Adam Blanchette
29- Andrew Smale

Goaltender:
1- Jason Wolfe
35- Andrew Martin
As for line combinations, I have some inclination based on what I've seen in practice, but you never know. Anyhow, here's what I expect to see come Friday night. Of course, this will all be greatly shaken up when Seth Leonard joins the fray. Personally, I think it's a great motivator to have these guys fighting for a roster spot this weekend, because we know that someone's gonna have to go to make room for Leonard.

Forwards:
Mazzei -- Robertson -- Macdonald
Trimm -- Stephens -- Delforte
Herrington -- Bowles -- Bostic
McCullough

Defense:
MacInnis/Blanchette
Smale/Smith
Row/Courchene

Q & A: Jason Wolfe

Here's the first in hopefully a series of quick little "get to know"s.

Q: How old were you when you started playing hockey?

Wolfe: I actually started when I was about 12 years old, as a defenseman, which is kind of uncommon in the whole hockey world. But yeah, I started kind of late because I wasn't really in much of a hockey area.

Q: When did you take up goaltending?

Wolfe: I played defense for about a year, so I started when I was about 13 and once I started playing that, I stuck with it the entire time. I never went back to defense...ever.

Q: What's the best part about being a goalie and being 6'5"?

Wolfe: The ones that you don't even see that just hit you anyway

Q: What's the worst part about being a goalie and being 6'5"?

Wolfe: The ones that you do see but you're big and slow and have a tough time going and getting them

Q: Having spent the past few years with Oklahoma City in the Northern Conference, what, if anything, are you expecting from some of these Southern Conference teams you haven't seen before?

Wolfe: It'll definitely be interesting. There are a lot of teams in this conference that we didn't get to play. There seems to be a bit of a different style down in the South versus the North and I'm looking forward to seeing some of these other teams and these other places.

Q: How's the team shaping up thus far?

Wolfe: I think it's really coming together now. I mean, we were a little bit out of sorts in the beginning, just in the first few practices and the first few games. Now that we've had a few extra days of practice, I think we've really started to get things together and started to get our systems in place. Hopefully we should see a big difference in this coming weekend versus the preseason games.

The rich get richer...

It's been confirmed that Konrad Reeder is back stateside and plans to sign with the Colorado Eagles. I can't even begin to imagine what that team's going to look like with three first lines.

As far as the Scorpions go, it sounds like Seth Leonard will report, so that's a positive for Randy Murphy & co.

In other moves, it sounds like Jeff Genovy has opted to play in the SPHL so the Scorpions won't be seeing him after all, at least not for now. The powers that be also signed two very promising rookies in forwards Torren Delforte and Neil Trimm. The two were paired up alongside Mitch Stephens at morning skate and they looked extremely sharp, cycling the puck well and showing the kind of energy and intensity Randy Murphy can't help but like. And I'll tell fans right now, after meeting Delforte at today's media luncheon, the guy has an absolutely infectious personality. He's all smiles about finding his way into the pro ranks and if he stays around, he'll be a fan favorite for sure.

Lastly, the Scorpions also signed forward Corey Courchene after he cleared waivers. He was due in today but, as Adam Minnick told me, he won't get on an airplane, so he's steadily puttering along on a bus from Odessa. Should be here by this weekend.

Scouring the waiver wires...

The Scorpions picked up Jeff Genovy off waivers today. Sounds like yet another good find, a very good character guy who's going to take care of a lot of the intangibles. Suddenly the Scorps are pretty stacked at center

And just like that...

Well I know I'm not the first to simply say "wow" with this one. I can't necessarily call it a bad move, but trading Konrad Reeder to Colorado for Seth Leonard is something that I never saw coming. Now granted, we're talking about rights here, so there's nothing that says either player will report, but it's still a pretty monumental move.

As far as Seth Leonard goes, I've always had nothing but the utmost respect for him as a player. He takes care of both ends of the ice, he's a guy you can use in any situation, and he seems like the kind of player who would fit very well into Randy Murphy's system. More to come on this later, I'm sure.

And then there were 19...

Randy Murphy made two more cuts today as he waived Jason Schulz and Joe Pace. It would've been a great story for the local boy Schulz to make the cut, but the odds definitely were not stacked in his favor with five proven CHL defensemen in training camp. Maybe Eric Soltys is looking for a d-man... As for Pace, he seemed like a sound performer on the back end, but I think he and Schulz both were definitely outshined by Russell Smith this past weekend. He moves very well for a large defenseman and, from what I saw on Saturday, he knows when to jump into the play and when to stay at home. I'm interested to see who Murphy pairs up on the back end for Friday

Gorillas 5, Scorpions 4 (SO)

Earlier today, Randy Murphy released Peter Vetri and Josh Paquette. With a trimmed-down roster, this probably was not the result he had hoped for in a home-and-home series with Amarillo, but Murphy still has plenty of bright spots to look at and (clearly) plenty of things to work on as well. Here are a few observations from this, the preseason finale.

• Both goaltenders looked pretty sharp between the pipes. Martin wasn't really tested until early in the second period, but all-at-once he was facing a barrage when Kevin Graber decided he'd seen enough 5-on-5 hockey. You can't really fault Martin on either of his two goals against. Olauson's first tally was just a bad bounce off the boards. Martin played the shot correctly, but the puck squirted off the back boards and right onto Olauson's stick. The second goal was just a well-executed 5-on-3 PP tally. As for Wolfe, he kind of got thrown to the lions as soon as the third period started. He made some spectacular saves and seemed to see the puck very well. Olauson's hat-trick goal was a carbon-copy of his second tally. Credit the Gorillas with good puck movement down low on the two-man advantage.


• Mitch Stephens showed tonight that he is capable of taking a game over. He completely froze Nielsen on his goal to open the night, and both of his assists were absolutely gorgeous. He had three Gorilla defenders watching the puck on his back-door pass to Robertson, and then he threw a beautiful cross-ice pass from the right point on Bowles' game-tying goal late in the third. He's definitely giving Randy Murphy some consideration for a top-line nod.


• Yes, the game was overrun with penalties. Still, I hate to see the Scorpions dominate a game 5-on-5 and lose...again. The top powerplay unit showed flashes of brilliance, but they were pretty sporadic. It didn't help having no Craig Macdonald tonight, but with the distribution of talent on the ice, that PP unit should be capable of some sustained pressure. The big question there revolves around who's going to quarterback the No. 1 unit. I think that's where the Scorps feel Vladimir Hartinger's absence most. Aaron MacInnis is the first guy Randy Murphy could turn to, but if he's running the point as a puck distributor, it takes away that vaunted one-timer that has been so successful over the past two seasons. I thought Stephens did a pretty good job at the point, but I'm a bit weary of having a forward as the last line of defense. The Scorpions could definitely use someone like a Bill McCreary to help out that second unit as well. As for the penalty kill, it was -- well -- the Scorpions' penalty kill. It was a problem in the Edwards/Murphy era, it continued in the Murphy/Soltys era, and it's a problem that needs to be addressed in the Murphy/Ambroziak era. The Scorpions can't afford to finish dead last on the penalty kill for three consecutive seasons, especially in a heavily retooled Southern Conference. Having said that, 3-for-18 isn't a god-awful number, nor is it one the Scorpions are liable to see during the regular season. Still, that 3 could have easily been a 5, 6 or worse if not for some superb netminding.


• Sam Bowles has the potential to be one of the Scorpions' best defensive forwards in recent memory. He looked great out there on the PK and the forecheck and that beautiful one-timer to tie the game was icing on the cake. If I'm Randy Murphy, I like seeing him on the ice if my team has a lead


• Lastly, a tip of the hat to Nick Theriault. The hit he put on Chris Robertson was one of the best open-ice hits I've seen at the CHL level. And it was a risky one at that, because Robertson had Bowles cruising untouched down the slot.

Elsewhere, as the preseason winds down:

• Tudor Floru calls a penalty in overtime? Never! I'm sure the Brahmas aren't complaining


• I'm pretty sure this may very well be the only time we'll see a goose egg in a Laredo/Corpus scoreline this season


• Bossier starts its annual blankfest at the expense of a retooled Memphissippi squad. Neil Poulson made sure he put up the biggest numbers on the scoresheet


• OKC flirts with double-digits against Tulsa. A bit surprised to see Scorpion-killer Bill Vandermeer as one of only three Blazers without a point


• Rapid City: welcome to the CHL. I'm sure that was the easiest shutout of Andrew Penner's life. Looks like the defending runners-up are pissed


• Arizona equals Wichita's goal output in the game's first 10 minutes.

Just a short drive down I-40

The Scorpions get their first preseason test tonight within the warm confines of the Amarillo Civic Center. The bus is probably somewhere on I-40 now, but I dropped in earlier today to watch morning skate. Nothing too different worth noting. Once again, the top line looked phenomenal. John Mazzei has great vision and a serious release on his wrister. Pretty sure Murph and Peter Ambroziak are expecting a lot from him this year. In my mind, he has as much talent and potential as any rookie I can remember coming into Scorps camp.

What I caught of the skate was pretty laid back. There were a few more breakout drills and some work with the d-men on keeping in clearing attempts at the blueline. Then practice ended with everyone's favorite: breakaway practice. As Aaron MacInnis noted, there is no overtime period in the preseason -- everything goes straight to the shootout.

It looked to me like the top two lines are set for this weekend. I figure that Murph will do some juggling to see who plays best with who in that checking line role. Here are the top two lines as best I can tell:

Line 1:

Craig Macdonald, Chris Robertson, John Mazzei

Line 2:

Jamie Herrington, Mitch Stephens, Josh Paquette

As far as the third line goes, Murph had I believe Ryan Sullivan and Kyle McCullough together on Wednesday with Sam Bowles as the pivot. That left Shawn Doucet and Matt Cosmos as the odd men out. Personally, I really like what I've seen from Doucet -- he strikes me as a very capable guy to take Ross McCain's spot. He seems to have a great work ethic and, like McCain, he posseses the offensive prowess to make some big plays when the Scorps really need them. I think the line of Doucet, Sullivan and McCullough could ultimately be the combination of speed, skill and grit that Murph's looking for in a checking line.

On another note, I also chatted with Andrew Martin for a bit about AHL camp and the potential for call-ups. It sounds like he made a very good impression on the coaching staff in San Antonio (much to the delight of Ray Edwards, I'm sure). As I understand it, Marty is first in line for a call-up to the AHL should there be a goaltending vacancy. Currently, the Rampage have Al Montoya and Josh Tordjman between the pipes, while the Phoenix Coyotes have Ilya Bryzgalov and Mikael Tellqvist. Bryzgalov is an absolute workhorse, and while Tellqvist proved to be a capable backup last year, apparently the Coyotes organization is pretty high on Montoya, a 6th overall pick in 2004. What I hear is that they're trying to move Tellqvist to free up a little more cap room and get Montoya into the NHL as a backup. Should this happen, Tordjman would take over the starting job in San Antonio and Marty would more than likely be called up in relief.

Now this is where it gets interesting...

Martin's main competition for the backup job in San Antonio happens to be this guy, whom the Rampage reassigned to the Arizona Sundogs last week. Fortunately, Martin has the full scouting report on Gistedt, which from the sounds of it was not all that impressive. Still, there's plenty of potentially interesting drama to playout over the course of the season, depending on how things pan out.

Reeder Update

I had a quick little exchange with Katie Reeder today. From what I gather, it sounds like the Fredrickshavn coach was more interested in getting Finnish talent into the lineup, so things just didn't work out. Konrad, Katie and Wyatt are heading to Germany to test the waters there. I imagine it's not worth moving halfway across the world unless you're going to explore all the possibilities! I definitely wish them the best of luck in their endeavors, but it sure would be nice to see them back here as well!

Reed all about it...?

I got word that the Fredrickshavn White Hawks released Konrad Reeder. Potentially VERY interesting developments if he decides to return stateside. The Scorpions still own his rights, but the guy is a bit out of his element playing AA hockey. More to come if I hear anything!

Gone campin'

I made my first trip to the SASC to take a look at Murph's crop of talent this year. There really wasn't much of an opportunity to evaluate chemistry -- mostly breakout drills and puck movement -- but definitely got some idea of what we're looking at. Having said that, however, the top line of Robertson, Macdonald and newcomer John Mazzei looked very sharp. They were just working a few 3-on-2 drills both down low and off the breakout, but I was really impressed with how they worked the puck out there. Feels like almost a sure lock for the Scorps' pair of games against Amarillo this weekend.

A few other things I noticed:

• Mitch Stephens is a wizard with the puck. Watching how he was setting things up in those drills, I expect him to put up some stellar numbers this year. Today, he was teamed up with Jamie Herrington and Josh Paquette. I was talking to Brent Woodside for a bit and he said that Finlandia (former program for Paquette and Scorps camper Ryan Sullivan) didn't put much of an emphasis on conditioning. Seeing as those two own just about every record in both school and conference history, it's interesting to think about what they can do if they really get into shape. Definitely some talent to be had.
• I was really impressed with Jason Wolfe. The guy is positionally and fundamentally sound and, with his size, is gonna be tough to beat on a good night. Right now, it looks to me like it's shaping up to be a two-man race between him and Andrew Martin. No offense to Peter Vetri, who made a few great saves of his own, but he seemed to lack the consistency and poise of both Martin and Wolfe, even if it was only a practice situation.
  
• You can really tell how happy Andrew Smale is to be back on the ice. He looked like a top-pairing defenseman out there for sure, and take my word for it when I say that I think we're going to see a much more physical Andrew Smale this year.
• My only real critique is on the back end. I don't see much size to go around. After Smale and Aaron MacInnis, the dropoff is pretty steep. With the exception of Dylan Row, I have yet to see any of these guys in real action, so I couldn't tell you about their positional play, but it sure would be nice to have one or two more thumping bodies on the back end.
  

Lastly, the other 26 teams in the NHL get under way this weekend, starting with four contests tomorrow night. Glad to see my TV set's going to get some use again. Go Wings!

Write that down...

So I decided I'm going to give blogging a shot. As a compulsive reader of Greg Rajan, Brian Sandalow and now Adam Dunivan, I must first and foremost say that I BY NO MEANS expect this to be the gold standard of blogs around the Central Hockey League. Those guys do this for a living, and as much as I want to, I don't have the financial backing or the connections to be the peoples' inextricable link to everything CHL. I do, however, have the love and passion for hockey that I hope to share with anyone who stumbles upon this blog.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Alex Mansfield. I have frequented the Scorpions boards as the "collegekid" and, in my mercurial younger days, as "box23." For a little better than a year, I worked as the Albuquerque Tribune's beat reporter for the Scorpions -- unfortunately, that gig came to an abrupt end when the Tribune closed this past spring. That job was an experience that I would give anything to still have with me today, but anyone who works in print media right now knows these troubled times all too well. In the interim, I have worked as a photographer for the Scorpions and plan on shooting plenty more this coming season. I hope to adorn this blog with photos aplenty as the seasons drags on.

I encourage feedback and, more importantly, I encourage you to spread the word and get this blog out there to anyone who might be interested. I also consider this to be as much a forum as any organized message board, so don't hesitate to agree, respectfully disagree or even blast me. I don't plan on censoring myself much, so you can rest assured that I won't censor you much either.

So I guess that's it for now...more to come from training camp! Season's just 10 days away!